


How to Snag a Date on Date Night

by YancyPants



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-16 17:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4634628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YancyPants/pseuds/YancyPants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven Meeks is stood up on date night and for the money he's spending to eat by himself he's pretty much done with dating all together. Good thing Charlie can't help but come to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Snag a Date on Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a post from tumblr: [ Imagine that you’ve been stood up by your douche of a boyfriend on date night...](http://likehemmins.tumblr.com/post/121044132161/imagine-that-youve-been-stood-up-by-your-douche)

Okay, it's official. Steven Meeks is never dating again and there’s no one that can convince him otherwise. His boyfriend, soon to be "ex" by the way, Karl, is almost half an hour late to the dinner they had been planning for the better part of last week and Steven is less than pleased. And if he has to say "I'm sure it's just traffic," to any other members of the wait staff, he might just hurl himself from the nearest window into the traffic below.

Eleven extra minutes, three other concerned waitresses, seven pitiful sidelong glances later, and Steven Meeks is still sitting by himself at the table he reserved, for his date, with his money, during his free time, and come to think of it Steven should just give up and date himself, he has a great start with how well tonight has been going.

When the waitress makes her rounds again, with an awful look in her eyes, Steven decides he may as well leave and grab some pizza on the way home, he hadn't really wanted the four cheese ravioli anyway. He prepares himself for the onslaught of sympathetic stares and condolences as he gathers his belongings and readies himself to leave the restaurant, when suddenly another someone sits opposite from him.

"Oh god, I am so sorry I'm late, babe, traffic was an absolute nightmare! And of course the boss was riding my ass as usual."

Steven's head snaps up at the intrusion but as he motions to express his confusion the person across from him leans over the table and kisses him on the cheek long enough to whisper, “The name’s Charlie, by the way, just go with it, yeah? Whoever stood you up is a dick.” And Steven finds himself stunned into silence as Charlie settles into his seat.

“Th-that’s okay, I wasn’t waiting long...” Steven finds himself responding slowly, still trying to grasp the situation.

"Well that's crap! He was waiting for forty minutes!" And now the wait staff is coming to his defense against the person claiming to be his boyfriend.

Outstanding.

"Shit, it was that long?" Charlie's asks the waitress with an incredulity of tone that Steven himself is having a hard time disbelieving. He seems so genuine in the apology, that he shouldn't even be giving and as he continues his explanation, frantically carding his fingers through his hair, it's clear that the waitress is beginning to believe him as well.

"...and you haven't eaten anything yet?" Charlie asks, drawing Steven back into the conversation.

"No, I wanted to wait...for you I mean, since this is supposed to be our...date?" Steven is certain he's blown Charlie's cover with his own inability to weave a convincing lie but Charlie recovers like a champion. He slowly lowers his face into his hands and begins to mumble.

"I'm more than half an hour late, and you still waited for me, and because I'm an idiot and let my phone die I couldn't call to say I was on my way." Here Charlie looks up at the waitress that has stayed at their table, as if to defend Steven's honor. Charlie continues.

"He's so understanding, even after everything I've done tonight." He slides his gaze to Steven, taking in the noticeable curl to his ginger hair and the thick rim of his vaguely retro glasses.

"I don't deserve you."

Well, that's not fair. Is it okay for Steven to want to actually be dating Charlie instead? He's doing a better job than the man that's stood him up, and seems far more invested if Steven had to be honest with himself.

"It's not a big deal, really," Steven says trying to match the veracity of Charlie's charade. "Things happen. Let's just order," he finishes with with a slight head tilt to the waitress. Charlie shifts to look at her.

"Thanks for taking care of him for me, I owe you one."

Charlie's smile does a number on Steven's heart, enough to make him flush and bury his face in the menu he'd been staring at for nearly an hour now.

After some deliberation the two do manage to order something to eat and Steven, for the first time, realizes how hungry he actually is as hunger pangs gnaw at his stomach.

"You sound like you're starving, your date really made you wait almost an hour?" Charlie has lowered his voice, but his eyes tell Steven that Charlie's interest and concern are truthful. Steven only nods.  

"Asshole."

"That seems to be the general consensus of opinion."  And now Steven gets to see Charlie's shit-eating grin, and damn if it isn't hot.

"You gonna give him another chance?"

"To do what?" Steven questions with a laugh. "Stand me up again, like tonight and last valentine's day? Sounds like a grand idea to me. Third time’s the charm, right?"

Bitterness seeps out of every word Steven speaks and while Charlie doesn't deserve the anger directed his way, Steven isn't in the mood to care, no matter how grateful he is.

"I would've dumped him after the first time, so my advice to you would be something along the lines of drop his ass."

"Oh I'm thinking about it believe me. I'm one text message away from being single."

"You're gonna send him a text? Not a fan of breaking up face to face?"

Steven scoffs. "We can't even date face to face, why should the break up be any different?"

"I'm liking you more and more every minute...uh...?" Charlie hesitates. His brow furrows.

"Steven, Steven Meeks."

Charlie nods his head in understanding.  " Steven."

The waitress comes back a few minutes later with Steven's dish. Charlie's is suspiciously absent.

"Here you go sir, Today's special four cheese ravioli. I hope you enjoy it." Here she looks at Charlie. "Your burger's going to be a bit late, sorry for the inconvenience. "

She really doesn’t sound sorry. Steven marvels at Charlie's good humor as the waitress walks away again.

"I can wait to start eating if you..."

Steven doesn't get to finish as he starts watching Charlie. Charlie picks up a fork from his side of the table and stabs a bit of ravioli on Steven's plate. He waits until Steven asks what he's doing and then he strikes.

Struggling with a mouthful of ravioli is no time to ask a question, but that doesn't stop Steven Meeks. He talks around the pasta block in his mouth and asks Charlie what he's doing but a little furrow of Charlie's brow tells him that the message was lost during delivery.

Steven chews through his ravioli before asking again.

"Why did you do that?"

"You've waited for over an hour to eat. You're not gonna wait for me. Also clearly the kitchen is making me wait for standing you up, so it won't do you any good to be selfless and have to eat cold pasta."

"I can talk to them for you."

"Nah, don't even go there, just eat your food, Meeks."

"Meeks?"

"Fits you better," Charlie explains with a shrug.

"Well it is my name."

"So is Steven, but Meeks is better. Maybe I should call you ‘babe’ again instead. After all we are on a date."

And Steven chokes on the last bit of ravioli in his throat.

  
Charlie's food does come eventually and from the sounds he makes it must taste sublime.

The two of them eat together while Charlie does most of the talking,and he talks as if he's known Steven for years.

The end of dinner comes faster than either of them anticipate and Meeks finds himself reluctant to leave, but the dessert on the menu would be too much and definitely too expensive.

"So Meeksy, whaddya say we blow this pop stand and head on out?"

Steven doesn't want their time together to end but he's resigned enough to know that it's going to happen. He nods so Charlie can call for their check and begins to pull out the money that should cover dinner and a tip for their waitress.

"You shouldn't just take out money in random places, " Charlie laments casually. "Someone might take it," he continues as he yanks the money from Steven's hands and places it in the breast pocket of his jean jacket.

Charlie pulls out his own wallet before Steven has time to argue and takes the check once the waitress comes around to their table. He pays for dinner, and certainly tips more than the waitress is expecting.

"Are you trying to impress me?" Steven asks crossing his arms over his chest squinting. 

"Nope, just apologizing. "

"For something you didn't do?"

"No, for something I'd never do if I were dating you," Charlie says carefully, standing up from his seat. He offers his hand to Steven.

Steven sighs but takes Charlie's hand anyway. The warmth in Charlie's eyes makes him feel like he hasn't in a long time. Like someone would actually want to spend time with him. He'd like to feel it more often.

When Charlie kisses his cheek again on their way out of the restaurant,  Steven melts and thumbs at his phone. He's a kiss away from sending that break up text.

Charlie pulls Steven's money back out from his breast pocket and holds it between the index and middle fingers of his right hand with a smirk on his face.

"Now I can give this back," he starts slowly looking at Steven who is nodding and reaching for his cash. Charlie smacks his hand lightly.  "Or," he continues. "We can go get some cheap ice cream with it, and go on our own date where I get to be your boyfriend instead of Asshole M.I.A."

Well that was forward.

"You're asking me out?"

"Yup."

Huh. Interesting.

Steven would like to pretend like the decision is a tough one but it's getting late and the thought of cheap ice cream with Charlie is far more welcome than returning to his apartment to see it either empty or occupied by Asshole M.I.A. as Charlie put it.

"Give me a second," Steven says pulling out his phone.  He composes a simple message:

_Karl, this is your complimentary break up txt.  You've received this because you never showed for dinner. It's over. Have a good night._

Steven returns his phone to his pocket and smiles up at Charlie. In return Charlie holds out his arm for Steven to grasp.

"Shall we?"

Steven holds on and begins to walk with Charlie.

 

It takes only four minutes for his phone to start vibrating incessantly. He's tempted to check it but he opts to turn it off instead. He sticks his hand in his pocket and holds the power button until the phone beeps signifying the shutdown sequence.

"I have a question," Steven says as he and Charlie round another corner into an intersection.

"Pretty sure I have an answer."

"How did you know I'd been stood up? I didn't see you in the restaurant earlier."

"I went there with some of my friends to hang out and have dinner, honestly it was more like I was fifth wheeling on a wagon of honeymooners. We had been at an art gallery beforehand and Todd said he was hungry, of course Neil, his boyfriend, started looking for a place to eat immediately. I swear, Todd sneezes and Neil's entire world stops until he makes sure the kid doesn't have pneumonia.  Anyway, all of us, that's me, Todd, Neil, Chris and her boyfriend Knox, stumbled upon the restaurant and when we walked in I overheard the hostess talking to a waitress about , 'that cute redhead with the adorable glasses' whose date was missing in action. Naturally I decided to step in and  save the day."

"So you left your friends to have dinner with me?"

"Yup."

"And you didn't tell them you were leaving with me?"

There's a pause as they finish crossing the street.

"...Shit!"

Steven laughs when Charlie asks to borrow his phone. Apparently he hadn't been lying about his phone being dead. When Steven's phone comes back to life his notification bar nearly explodes but he ignores his messages in favor of pulling up the dial pad for Charlie to use. He passes the phone to Charlie and they rest under a lamppost while he waits for Neil to pick up his phone.  

_"Hello, who is this?"_

"Hey Neil, it's Charlie."

_"Charlie! Where the hell are you? Todd checked the bathroom a while ago and you didn't respond. We ordered without you!"_

"I met someone and we had dinner together and now we're headed to get ice cream and I just thought I'd call to let you know that I'm busy and you all can go ahead and play house without me."

_"Okay I stopped listening after you said you met someone and ditched your friends to have dinner with them and not your friends who have been waiting for you!"_

"He was alone! His date flaked on him."

_"Yeah okay fine, I get it Nuwanda had to save the day. Just warn us next time okay?"_

"I make no promises."

_"Whatever, I'll see you when come by to pick up your car."_

"See you then, Lover Boy!"

_"Ugh."_

Neil hangs up and Charlie pulls Steven's phone away from his ear.

"He adores me," Charlie says handing Steven's phone back to him knowing their exchange was loud enough for Steven to hear.

"Oh I'm sure you seduced him with your charm and charisma."

"What can I say?” Charlie replies shrugging his shoulders. “It's a talent."

Steven gives him a mock serious nod and they resume their stroll down the crowded sidewalk.

"Oh by the way who's Pitts?"

"My best friend," Steven answers slowly. "Why?"

"You got a message from him that said , 'Final-fucking-ly! Congrats on dumping the Asshole,  we'll celebrate when I'm back in town!' and I thought it was rather sweet."

"Reading my texts already?"

"It popped up when you handed the phone to me."

"Mhmm,"Steven responds, rolling his eyes.

"Cross my heart, Meeks."

"Yeah whatever, I've got one more question anyway," Steven says.

"Go ahead."

"Are we getting Mcflurries, or Blizzards?"

Steven swears that if Charlie says Blizzards their inevitable relationship is a done deal.  

"Blizzards all the way Meeksy! Come on I'll race ya!"

The two race down the sidewalk in the direction of the fast food strip. Steven loves the feeling of Charlie's hand wrapped around his own, he never let go though they were supposed to be racing. It makes him rethink the whole never dating again feeling he had earlier.

Once they reach the Dairy Queen down the road and order their preferred Blizzards a thought rushes through Steven's head.

It's official. He's definitely dating Charlie and there’s no one that can convince him otherwise.

 

 


End file.
